Refillable beverage containers, such as commuter coffee mugs, for example, typically include a removable lid that includes a fluid aperture or drink hole, and a consumer typically fills the interior of the container (e.g., an insulated container) with a beverage (e.g., coffee) when the lid is removed. To drink the beverage, the consumer typically tips the container to allow the beverage to pass through the drink hole, and the consumer sips the beverage as the beverage exits the drink hole.
In some cases, a simple drink hole may be undesirable as a consumer (such as a young child or toddler) may not be sufficiently skilled to drink from the hole while not spilling. To address this problem, beverage containers with spouts were developed. Such containers include a flip out spout with a ball joint element. When the spout is flipped out in a drinking position, the ball joint is open, allowing liquid to flow out of the container through the spout. When drinking is no longer desired, the spout must be flipped to a closed position, thereby closing the ball joint and preventing liquid from flowing out of the container. Thus, such beverage containers for children are either in the drink mode or the non-spill mode.
Other drink containers may include a straw that is manually stored in a crimped position when not in use to prevent spills. Similar to the ball joint products described above, these containers are either in the drink configuration, in which the straw is not crimped, or in the no-spill configuration, in which the straw is crimped. In any event, the user must manipulate some portion of known drink containers to transition the container between the drink configuration and the no-spill configuration.